Pablo Picasso

Born October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain, Pablo Picasso became the defining artist of the twentieth century. As I learned about his life, I was struck by the observation that Picasso was blessed with parents who recognized his gift at an early age. Learn more about the man and his art at the following five sites.

"The artistic genius of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) has impacted the development of modern and contemporary art with unparalleled magnitude. His prolific output includes over 20,000 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, theater sets and costumes that convey myriad intellectual, political, social, and amorous messages." Visit the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History for a slideshow and an excellent Picasso biography.

At first glance, this bio seems really brief, but if you look in the right-hand corner below the slideshow, you'll see a dropdown box that provides navigation to the rest of the Picasso biography. "Picasso never taught, but from the moment that he entered into an artistic dialogue with his contemporaries through Cubism he attracted numerous followers. Cubism not only became a stylistic formula that others continued to exploit, but also a springboard for sculptural developments by artists such as Tatlin and Lipchitz and an influence on artists as diverse as Duchamp and Matisse."

As with any museum site, if you are not visiting in real life, you need to jump around the site to find the virtual exhibits. Here you'll find them under the menu items: The Collection, Exhibitions, and Pablo Picasso. Highlights include a timeline of Picasso's time in Barcelona, an excellent collection of Picasso links, and a great quote section (all listed under Pablo Picasso.)

Bypass the biography and articles, which are poorly written, but visit for the galleries of paintings and sculpture, Picasso Guernica jigsaw puzzle, quotes, and fun facts. "In 1909, Picasso and French artist Georges Braque co-founded an art movement known as cubism. Actually, it was a French art critic Louis Vauxcelles who first called it 'bizarre cubiques' or cubism, after noting that Picasso and Braque's paintings are 'full of little cubes.'"

Release your inner Picasso, and use this interactive art board to create a "Picasso-like" masterpiece. Start by adding elements from groups such as faces, eyes, noses, lips, ears, etc. Each of these elements is taken from a Picasso artwork, but you get to choose, color, and re-arrange them to your own artistic taste. Be sure to visit the gallery and see the what others have created. You can also save your own creation to the gallery.